Suspended lawyer M. Ravi faces additional 13 charges including assault and harassment

On Thursday (29 Feb), suspended human rights lawyer M. Ravi was slapped with 13 new charges. This recent development brings his total number of charges to 19, including previous charges from 2023.

The new charges against Ravi include six counts of harassment, five counts of assault, one count of using criminal force on another person, and one count of committing an act of public nuisance.

Ravi, aged 54, has been accused of engaging in actions against nine individuals, comprising seven men and two women. His behaviour reportedly includes a series of confrontations and assaults at various locations.

One notable incident occurred at the office of KK Cheng Law at High Street Centre on 22 November 2021, where Ravi is alleged to have thrown a remote control at a man, striking him in the wrist. Furthermore, on the same day, Ravi is accused of physically assaulting another man at the law firm by pushing his chest, grabbing his shirt, and throwing a perfume bottle at him, which hit the man’s shin. He also allegedly insulted the man verbally.

In addition to the law firm incidents, Ravi’s charges encompass various other aggressive actions over a period extending from December 2021 to July 2023.

These include hurling obscenities and vulgarities at individuals in public places, such as a condominium carpark, a shop on Joo Chiat Road, and a bookstore on Upper Cross Street. Moreover, Ravi is accused of slapping a man, causing bruising, and engaging in aggressive behaviour at the Sri Mariamman Temple and outside a restaurant on South Bridge Road, where his actions reportedly led to a woman sustaining a head injury.

However, it is publicly known that Ravi was suffering from relapses of his bipolar disorder twice during the period of time of these offences and that he was committed twice to the Institute of Mental Health.

Ravi has previously faced legal and professional scrutiny.

In March of the previous year, he received a five-year suspension from practising law due to misconduct, marking a significant point in his career.

This suspension was a result of accusations he made against the Attorney-General and officers from the Attorney-General’s Chambers in October 2020, which were deemed “grave and baseless” by the Court of Three Judges.

The court has adjourned Ravi’s case to 4 March.

If convicted of the assault charges, he could face up to two years in jail and a fine of up to $5,000 for each charge. The harassment charges could lead to a jail term of up to six months and a fine of up to $5,000 per charge.